


Scene II: A Happy Accident

by TheEigthPillarGeneral



Series: In Pursuit of a Thief [2]
Category: Ghost of Tsushima (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Mongol Invasion, Class Differences, F/M, Jin is an Amazon Chaser, Taka Already Knows, Yuna is charmed but won't say it out loud
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:15:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29201202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEigthPillarGeneral/pseuds/TheEigthPillarGeneral
Summary: In which fate delivers and allows Jin to put this opportunity to good use, and get close to both Taka and Yuna.
Relationships: Jin Sakai & Taka, Jin Sakai/Yuna
Series: In Pursuit of a Thief [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2136030
Comments: 16
Kudos: 27





	Scene II: A Happy Accident

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to everyone who responded and left kudos to the previous scene! I loved reading your comments, and they really motivated me to write up Scene II!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!

Surprisingly enough, fate delivers a few days later.

As Jin rides past a farmhouse on horseback, intent on returning to the Higanbana Inn to ask the innkeeper on Yuna’s whereabouts, he overhears a fairly interesting conversation between two farmers that he finds himself listening to rather closely.

“Those tools of yours… where did you get them from? I haven’t seen such fine craftsmanship before.”

“Oh, you haven’t heard? There’s a new blacksmith here in Omi Village, and he comes from Yarikawa, I believe. He and his assistant arrived here a couple days ago.”

Jin tugs at the reins, making his horse stop at a distance as he continues to listen in on them.

“My own tools are beginning to wear out on me. Perhaps I should ask this blacksmith to craft me some new ones.”

“You should! His name is Taka, and he’s quite a skilled craftsman. I’m sure he’ll be willing to forge anything you need if you ask.”

 _Taka…_ Jin recognizes that name.

He then remembers the young bearded man who had approached him at the Higanbana Inn, introducing himself as Taka and apologizing on behalf of his sister, Yuna.

He had been very polite and respectful, but not too subservient, Jin recalls.

To think that both he and Yuna are in Omi Village now… surely this cannot be a coincidence.

If he can find Taka in Omi Village, then surely he can meet Yuna again.

“Excuse me,” Jin says, approaching the farmers.

The farmers turn to him in surprise before bowing immediately.

“Lord Sakai!” the first one greets. “Forgive us! We had no idea you were here!”

“That’s alright,” Jin reassures him. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation about this new blacksmith, and I was wondering where I could find him.”

Both farmers stand upright, looking rather surprised. Not that Jin blames them. It’s not everyday a nobleman decides to pay a visit to a peasant-born blacksmith and asks a pair of farmers to give him directions.

“His forge is in the main square of Omi Village, my lord,” the farmer explains. “Right next to the bowyer’s shop.”

“Thank you,” Jin says. “Farewell now.”

“We hope you find him, milord,” the second farmer tells him.

With a nod of acknowledgement, Jin mounts his horse again and continues riding down the path towards the central square of Omi Village.

Dressed in a black kataginu and hakama over a burgundy kimono, Jin does not earn too much attention upon himself as he rides into the village square on horseback. Apart from the occasional bows of greeting from some peasants and merchants, he remains unnoticed for the most part.

It doesn’t take too long for Jin to find the forge that the farmer had told him about. Sure enough, it is right next to the bowyer’s shop, and has a noren curtain with the kanji for ‘blacksmith’ hanging in the entrance.

 _I wonder if he is willing to work on swords?_ Jin ponders to himself as he dismounts his steed.

When he enters the forge, the smell of burning wood and steel fills his nose as the clanging of a hammer on steel rings through the air.

Kneeling at an anvil is Taka himself, hammering away on a heated piece of metal, and at the back of the shop is an older man tending to the flames of the forge.

Right then, Taka looks up from the anvil just in time to see Jin in the entryway.

“Lord Sakai!” Taka greets, immediately standing up and bowing. “It’s a pleasure to see you here!”

He turns to the man in the back. “Yukio! Lord Sakai is here!” he tells him.

Yukio immediately turns to bow and offer a greeting, and Jin responds with a nod before turning his attention back to Taka.

“I heard that you’re quite a skilled blacksmith,” Jin tells him. “I overheard a farmer near the estate talking about how you’d forged some tools for him, and he was praising the quality of your craftsmanship.”

Taka averts his eyes, his cheeks tinged with a faint blush. “I’m humbled,” he says. “But what are you here for, milord?”

Jin hands him the Sakai Steel, his heirloom katana and tanto, and Taka accepts them both, admiring the exquisite silver decorations upon both scabbards.

“I believe my blades are in need of some improvement,” Jin tells him. “If you work on the Sakai Steel, I will ensure that you are paid with enough food and money to sustain both you and your sister for a lifetime.”

Taka looks back up at him, his eyes practically shining in awe, and he immediately bows in gratitude.

“I would be honoured to work on it, milord,” he says sincerely. “Thank you so much.”

Since he has finished his other tool, Taka quickly starts work on the Sakai Steel, and Jin decides to hang around the forge for a little bit. After all, this is a good opportunity to learn a little bit more about Yuna.

However, he can’t be too obvious about his interest in Taka’s sister. He doesn’t want Taka to become suspicious about his motives, so he has to act casual in his curiosity.

“You and your sister were travelling together, am I correct?” Jin asks, keeping his tone as light as he can.

Taka nods as he works on the tanto. “Yes,” he says. “Yuna has gone out to train by the lake. It’s become her favourite place to train, especially the duelling ring beneath the maple tree.”

 _The old sparring grounds…_ Jin recalls fondly, remembering his younger days when he and Lord Shimura would spar amidst the falling red leaves as Omi Lake had glittered in the sunlight.

It’s been a while since he’s last visited the training grounds. Perhaps a quick visit doesn’t sound too bad, especially if it means getting to see Yuna again.

As though reading his mind, Taka glances over at him. 

“Since she’s already completed her work, she’ll be training until sunset,” he informs him helpfully. “But she doesn’t like being interrupted in her training, so be careful, milord.”

Jin raises an eyebrow, but nods in gratitude.

“Thank you, Taka,” he says.

He’s a rather perspective one. For him to quickly figure out Jin’s wish to see Yuna… it’s quite impressive.

And here, Jin had thought he was good at concealing all his emotions behind a calm, emotionless mask befitting of his status.

Nevertheless, the very thought of seeing Yuna at his old sparring grounds sounds quite promising, and Jin knows better than to pass up such an opportunity.

With his mind made up, he exits the forge with a word of goodbye to Taka, unable to help the pleasant thrill that rushes through him as he mounts his steed once more.

And with a snap of the reins, Jin sets out to his next destination: Omi Lake.

* * *

Yuna takes a long drink from her water gourd, wiping off a sheen of sweat that plasters her bangs to her forehead while sheathing her tachi back into her obi.

Once her thirst is quenched, she leans back against the trunk of the maple tree, admiring the many leaves that cover most of the duelling ring. Many more leaves drift from the branches, and the cool late-afternoon breeze is a relief.

Training had been vigorous, and Yuna can’t help but feel a little proud of how much she’s improved. She might not be a highly skilled onna-bugeisha, but she can fight well enough to defend herself and Taka.

 _And yet there’s always room for improvement._ Yuna thinks.

After all, it’s no use being a thief if one doesn’t know how to fight properly. And after all the vile people who have hurt them both; their mother, the Black Wolf, the Mamushi brothers… 

That’s why she has taken up the blade, so that she and Taka will never get hurt by another monster like them ever again.

_I’ll be damned if we come across someone like them again…_

Just as Yuna re-enters the duelling ring to resume training, she suddenly hears the familiar sound of horse hooves drawing close to the area.

Yuna turns sharply to the source, readying her blade only to falter when a familiar white steed approaches the ring, with none other than Jin Sakai upon the saddle.

Somehow, she feels herself relaxing a little, though not by much, as she takes note of how different he looks when out of his resplendent armour.

If anything, Jin looks less sharp in his current attire, and without his helmet, Yuna is able to get a clear look at the light stubble dusting his strong jaw and the scar adorning his left cheek. And somehow, he looks more approachable; _young,_ even.

Yuna has to admit that he is quite a handsome man; very easy on the eyes. 

“I didn’t think I’d see you here, Yuna,” he greets, his eyes sparkling with good humour and warmth as he dismounts. “Looks like you’ve been training hard.”

“How did you find me?” Yuna asks, narrowing her eyes.

“Your brother told me about how you’ve come to like training here,” Jin tells her.

 _Dammit, Taka!_ She can’t help but think.

Mindful of Jin’s gaze on her, she simply nods in response. “And what about it?”

Jin gives her a tentative smile. “I used to spar with my uncle here as a boy,” he explains. “Even now, I like to meditate here when the time allows it.”

Yuna nods slowly, turning to look out at the glittering lake. Indeed, Jin is quite lucky to live in a place like this.

“What are you doing here, though?” she asks.

“I hoped to see you again,” Jin tells her, looking almost… hopeful.

_He wants… to see me again?_

Now, Yuna is confused.

Why would Jin be interested in seeing someone like her?

Jin approaches her, still carrying himself with a grace and elegance befitting his status as a nobleman and the nephew of the jito.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said back at the inn, Yuna,” he tells her. “I looked through the ledgers over the last few days, and you are right. The taxes are disproportionate to this year’s crop. I’ve sent a letter to my uncle about it, asking him to reconsider the tax laws. In the meantime, I will do what I can to make sure our people are not starving any longer.”

 _Oh?_ Yuna certainly hadn’t expected that.

She didn’t think her words would have much of an impact on him, but to hear that he’d taken it into consideration is quite the surprise.

Suddenly, she’s not so sure how to feel about this piece of news.

As though sensing her hesitation, Jin changes the subject.

“You seem to have a natural skill in fighting,” he says. “Who trained you?”

Yuna averts her eyes. “I’m mostly self-trained,” she admits. “I had no other choice. One of us had to fight back, and it wasn’t going to be Taka.”

Surprisingly, Jin doesn’t scorn her. Instead, he looks quite impressed.

“For being self-taught, you held yourself quite well against those bandits,” he tells her. “Even I’m not sure if I could’ve fought eight bandits by myself the way you did. You have a lot of potential as a warrior, Yuna. With proper training, you could become a second Masako Adachi.”

Yuna can’t help it. She laughs.

“A second Masako Adachi?” she repeats in disbelief. “I think you’re overestimating my skills a bit there, Lord Sakai.”

“I know a good fighter when I see one,” Jin simply responds, his eyes glimmering with good humour. “Besides, you and Lady Masako would get along quite well, I think.”

Well. That’s some praise she hadn’t expected to hear.

Suddenly realizing how warm she feels from her training, Yuna stands up straight. “Forgive me, Lord Sakai, but I must be on my way home,” she tells him.

“I can walk you home,” Jin offers.

“You shouldn’t do that,” Yuna chides lightly, albeit with a frown. “It’s a long walk from here to the village. And surely you’re busy.”

“We could ride together on my--” Jin clears his throat and averts his eyes. “I mean, my horse can carry us both.”

Yuna raises an eyebrow, biting back a chuckle at how shy this samurai lord has suddenly become.

Perhaps she can humour him a little.

“Alright, then,” she concedes, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “We’ll ride together.”

Jin nods, his cheeks tinged pink. “O-Of course,” he agrees. “It would be my pleasure.”

He leads her to his horse, and once they’ve both mounted, with Yuna sitting behind the lord, the horse breaks into a gentle trot towards Omi Village.

It’s during the ride that Yuna finds herself getting lost in her thoughts.

Why has Jin taken an interest in her, of all people? Yuna isn’t most village girls with their soft manners and shy smiles, and yet somehow, she has earned what most women would practically _kill_ for.

And that’s when she realizes something.

A daimyo riding with a peasant woman is going to look suspicious to others, not just her brother. But Jin Sakai doesn’t seem like someone with dishonourable intentions.

Nevertheless, Yuna can’t afford to let others notice this.

When they near the base of the slope leading up to the village gates, Yuna speaks up.

“I can find my way from here on my own, Lord Sakai,” Yuna says.

Jin stops the horse and glances back at her in surprise. “Are you sure?” he asks.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Yuna dismounts from the saddle.

She then turns to face him, giving him a slight bow of gratitude. “Thank you again, Lord Sakai,” she says.

“You’re welcome,” Jin says with a faint smile. “I hope to see you again, Yuna.”

With that, he rides off down the path, and Yuna can’t help but watch his figure become more and more distant, a strange warmth spreading through her chest as she turns to head up to the village.

* * *

By the time Yuna returns to the lodging where she and Taka are staying at, along with Yukio and his family, the irori hearth is already lit, and a pot of millet sits upon the embers.

“How was your training, Yuna?” Taka asks.

Yuna shrugs. “It went well enough,” she says.

Tonight’s dinner consists of some millet, root vegetables, and some of the rabbit meat that Yuna had hunted a couple of days ago.

It won’t be long before she has to hunt again, though. And hopefully, she’ll be lucky enough to hunt a boar next time, which can feed everyone in this house.

“You know, Taka,” Yuna begins. “Something interesting happened during my training. I happened to receive a visit from Lord Jin Sakai himself, who told me that you informed him of my whereabouts.”

She regards him pointedly, and Taka’s cheeks flush in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry…” he mumbles. “You’re not mad, are you?”

“No, not at all,” Yuna tells him. “I’m just curious. What was he doing at your forge?”

Taka perks up a little. “He wanted me to work on the Sakai Steel and improve the blades,” he says, his eyes shining excitedly. “He even promised to pay us enough to keep us well-fed for a lifetime!”

 _For a lifetime?_ Yuna thinks, amazed despite herself.

Seeing the surprise on Yuna’s face, Taka just nods with a smile.

“I’m going to make sure Lord Sakai’s blades are better than ever, so that we won’t have to go hungry ever again,” Taka promises.

“Just don’t overwork yourself, Taka,” Yuna advises.

Why would Jin Sakai entrust a common blacksmith with improving his blades? It’s rather strange that he’d be willing to designate Taka with a task that has such high expectations to meet.

Honestly, it sounds almost too good to be true.

“What was Lord Sakai like towards you, Yuna?” Taka asks.

Yuna gazes at the irori, swallowing her mouthful of millet before answering.

“Apparently, my training spot used to be his old sparring grounds,” Yuna says. “He told me himself.”

She looks down. “He was courteous towards me, and I don’t know why,” she adds.

Briefly, she wonders if she should mention what Jin had told her about the taxes, but decides to keep it to herself for now.

“He also told me that I have potential as a fighter,” Yuna continues. “I wasn’t expecting to be praised like that.”

For a samurai-class nobleman who happens to be the nephew of the jito, Jin Sakai is far from arrogant, and he doesn’t show any scorn or disdain towards the peasant class. And something about it only intrigues Yuna more than ever.

Despite her best efforts to not think about the jito’s nephew, there’s no point in denying that her own curiosity has been piqued.

Deep down, Yuna can't help but hope to see him again soon.

**Author's Note:**

> When I got a look at the stills of Omi Village, I was a little surprised at how small it is, consisting of a few farmhouses near the Sakai manor house, and I figured that there is probably a larger village area like Akashima somewhere further down the road. So I've taken a bit of creative license for Omi Village.
> 
> Anyways, I liked writing this part out, especially Jin trying to act all noble and aloof but also being so shy towards Yuna <3 Boy's already charmed, and there's no turning back for him, that's for sure!
> 
> Please let me know how I did, and have a good one!


End file.
